World Oceans Day launched in 2003 as a global day of ocean celebration and collaboration for a better future.

The United Nations officially recognized June 8 as World Oceans Day in 2008 with the goal of reminding everyone of the major role the oceans have in everyday life. Simply put, the oceans are the heart and lungs of our planet. The oceans are a critical part of our biosphere including regulating our climate and producing oxygen, in addition to being home to an incredible array of living creatures.

The theme for 2016 is "Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet" with special effort to put a stop to plastic pollution. Plastic pollution is a serious threat to our oceans; plastic degrades very slowly and pollutes our waterways for a very long time. In 2015 a study estimated that more than 4.8 million metric tons of plastic waste gets dumped into the world's oceans each year. More startling is that this number is just a conservative estimate as researchers believe the real amount could be as high as 12.7 million metric tons. At this rate it is estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic waste in the oceans than fish.

The Ocean Project created the World Oceans Day website where you can organize, submit, and find events, participate in campaigns, and find resources designed to help us all take action for the oceans.

Our mission at Meshbottles is to create products that help reduce human and environmental exposure to plastics and metals through innovation and smart design. Our glass water bottle is truly plastic-free and will help you reduce your plastic waste plus give you a healthier water bottle option to keep you hydrated.

The Meshbottle will be available very soon so be sure to sign up to be notified. We are also currently competing for a FedEx Small Business Grant and votes from the public are one of the many factors they consider. If you feel like helping out, please vote for us. It doesn't cost anything, it takes less than a minute, and your vote can help us win one of the grants. You can vote once a day now thru June 13, 2016. Thanks!